Improved clew-thimble



UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. WILCOX, OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVED CLEW-THIMBLE Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,192, dated April 14, 1863.

T0 all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WILcox, of Middletown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Rope-Protecting Olew-Thimble; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,

reference bein g had to the aceompanyin g drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a plan or top View of a ships cleW provided with my improved thimbles. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my improved thimble detached.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention consists in the application to the clew-thimbles of a guard cast with the same out of one piece, or otherwise secured to the same, in such a manner that the rope passing over said thimble is protected against the chan g motion of the elew-line block, and no further protection to the rope is needed to save it against injury from that cause.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and use my invention, I Will proceed to describe it with reference to the draw- 1n gs.

A represents a ships elew, made of Wroughtiron or any other suitable material, in the ordinary shape. B B are the thimbles which support the ropes running to the sails, and the middle thimble, C, supports the clew-line block. This block rests on the ropes passing over the thimbles B, and when the ship is in motion these ropes are injured by the continuous chaiing of said block, and in order to prevent injury from this cause the ropes have always to be covered with canvas or leather. The application of this leather or canvas covering isexpensive, and causes a tedious labor, and the covering is soon worked through and has to be replaced at short intervals. This diiiculty I have overcome by applying to my thimble a guard, a, which may either be cast in one piece with the thimble or which may be otherwise secured to the same. This guard tact with the rope at all. The rope, therefore,

requires no covering, and it lasts much longer than with the ordinary thimble.

When the guard is cast in one piece with the thimble, the increase in cost is so trifling that its value and advantage are apparent from the beginning. The guard might, however, be-made of a separate piece, or of separate pieces, and attached to the thimble by screws or rivets or any other suitable means. The effect in this case would be the same, but the expense of making the thimble would be muchgreater. The guard might also be hinged to facilitate the operation of passing the rope through, and it can be made so as to form a continuous tube, such as shown in the drawings, or it might be made in two or more sections with open spaces between them.

It is obvious that my invention is applica Y ble to vessels of every size and description and to clews of every kind, with or without the middle thimble, C.

Having thus fully describe-l my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The application to a clew-thimble, B, of a guard, a, constructed and operating in the manner and for the purpose substantially as shown and described.

WILLIAM W. VILCOX.

Witnesses:

M. S. PARTRIDGE, DANIEL RoBERTsoN. 

